


The Second Chess Game

by petiteinsomniac



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, I'm a bitch for these two being soft, M/M, Marvin is soft, whizzer is scared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 17:35:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petiteinsomniac/pseuds/petiteinsomniac
Summary: When Marvin asks Whizzer to play chess with him once they've gotten back together and then Whizzer wins, he panics.





	The Second Chess Game

**Author's Note:**

> Some more Whizzer and Marvin shit, idk. Posting here is kinda freeing because none of y'all know me. so that's fun. stop just leaving kudos and leave some comments, I'm too much of a bitch for feedback.

“Play chess with me,” Marvin had said.

Whizzer had looked up and hesitated. All he could think of was the last time they had played chess; when their worlds had fallen out from under them and there had been fighting and harsh words and then everything was over; Whizzer had been left to pack up the pieces of the life he’d hoped to build and move on, back into the cold without Marvin and without Jason and all by himself again in the unfeeling streets of New York City. Gone were the arguments and harshness, but also gone were the moments of tenderness that had been like windows into what could have been. 

All over a game of chess. A few pawns and a few decent moves by Whizzer, and then it had been over. 

And then, two years later, they’d reconciled. The harsh words were left in the past. The arguments no longer devolved into anyone being thrown out. There was no yelling about dinner, no fear and no storming out on one another. It had been like night and day, a life full of those little tender glimpses he’d gotten before. Whizzer had never imagined this kind of life for himself, but now he couldn’t imagine giving it up. 

And if a chess game had ended it once, couldn’t it end it again? 

“I don’t know, Marv,” he’d hedged. 

“Come on,” Marvin begged, giving Whizzer his best puppy dog eyes, which admittedly were not very good. “Jason’s getting really good, if I don’t stay sharp he’s going to decimate me when he comes this weekend.” 

So Whizzer had nodded and now they were sitting across from one another with the chess board set up between them, and Whizzer couldn’t help but feel that the seemingly innocent chess board was more like a brick wall, erected between them with sinister intentions to drive them apart. He tried to shake that off as Marvin gestured for Whizzer to move first. He did, sliding the pawn to his chosen spot and trying not to think about the way this had gone the last time. And then Marvin had moved, and then it was Whizzer’s turn again, and then Whizzer’s best and only move was one that would take one of Marvin’s pieces. Hesitantly, he made the move, watching Marvin closely. Marvin seemed unfazed, his steele blue eyes focused on the board in front of him. Whizzer was physically on the edge of his seat with the fear of what might be coming. Marvin was playing badly; he hadn’t been kidding with his implication that he was rusty, and luck was in Whizzer’s favor. Whizzer was beginning to panic; after all, he was not a good chess player anyway- why, then was he winning now? 

And then, one move left. And Whizzer said nothing. He just sat there, looking at the board. 

“Whizzer?” Marvin asked. “Move.” 

His hand darted forward and moved the piece and then the game was over and Whizzer had won and the yelling was coming, he could almost feel it. He was going to get thrown out again. He was going to lose Marvin again. He was going to lose Jason again. He was going to lose everything, again. 

Marvin stared at Whizzer, who had not said a word and was just staring at the table. 

“Whizzer?” he prompted again, but got no reaction. Strange. Then, he noticed the way that Whizzer’s breathing had gone shallow. He was barely taking in air, and his chest was rising and falling with a rapidity that was alarming. Immediately moving from his seat, Marvin knelt in front of Whizzer and looked up at him. 

“Whizzer?” he said. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

Whizzer met Marvin’s eyes and it was like flipping a switch. He went from silence to a torrent of words in no time at all. 

“I’m sorry, Marvin, this is why I didn’t want to play,” he began earnestly. “I didn’t mean to win, I didn’t mean for it to happen this way and now it’s all going to fall apart. I’m sorry, Marv, I’m really sorry. Please don’t be-” 

“Whizzer, slow down,” Marvin said soothingly, watching him carefully. “Hey, just breathe, okay?” 

He was watching his boyfriend closely, worried about the way that he was breathing. He was barely able to catch his breath, and by the time he had reached the end of his little monologue, Marvin couldn’t even understand him through his tears. 

“Whizzer, breathe,” Marvin insisted. His hands were resting on Whizzer’s thighs as he looked earnestly up at him. “It’s going to be alright, okay? Just take a breath.” 

Whizzer took a shuddering, shaky breath as tears continued to course down his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry, Marvin,” he choked. “I swear I wasn’t trying to-” 

“Woah,” Marvin interrupted, causing Whizzer to fall silent. “What are you apologizing for, Whiz? I don’t understand.” 

“I won the game,” Whizzer whispered. “I won the stupid game again and- I know you’re going to be upset, but-” 

He choked on his words and then his eyes met Marvin’s, fearful and wide. 

“Marvin, please don’t leave me,” he whispered. Marvin felt as if his heart had been torn from his chest; it had never occurred to him that Whizzer would still be this afraid. 

“Oh, hey,” Marvin said soothingly. He rose up on his knees to bring himself closer to Whizzer and ran his hand over his cheek, brushing away a tear with the pad of his thumb. 

“I’m not leaving you,” Marvin said fervently. “Whizzer, it’s okay. It was just a game, baby. I promise I’m not going anywhere.” Whizzer let out a broken sob and Marvin stood, pulling Whizzer to his feet and into his arms. Whizzer clung to him and Marvin held him close. 

“Shh, just breathe,” Marvin said softly as he ran his fingers through Whizzer’s soft hair. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” 

“Marvin,” Whizzer whimpered, and Marvin held him impossibly closer to him, Whizzer’s head buried against Marvin’s neck. 

“I’m right here,” Marvin assured him. “It’s okay. It’s alright, baby, just take a breath.” 

Whizzer clung to him, barely able to wrap his head around the kind, gentle way that Marvin was speaking to him. This Marvin was so different from the Marvin of two years ago. Kinder, softer, more loving. Whizzer loved it, and was grateful for it, but it was jarring at the same time. 

“It’s okay,” Marvin said again. “I’m not going to leave you, Whizzer, I promise. It’s just a game.” 

“I thought that winning was more important to you,” he mumbled. Marvin shook his head, pulling back just enough to look at Whizzer without letting go of him. He ran his hand through Whizzer’s hair, brushing it back off of his forehead. 

“That was then,” he said softly, more softly than 1979 Marvin had ever spoken to Whizzer. “Things are different now, Whizzer. I’m different now. We’re different. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you in my life, and I’m definitely not going to leave you over a game. I don’t want to win now, Whizzer. All I want is you.” 

Whizzer silently buried his head against Marvin’s neck, and Marvin wrapped his arms tightly around Whizzer, each of them holding the other close. 

“I love you,” Whizzer said softly, and Marvin’s heart leapt against his ribs. He’d dreamed of those words in Whizzer’s voice more often than he cared to admit- but he would have counted them meticulously if Whizzer had asked. Now, he pressed a kiss against Whizzer’s temple. 

“I love you too,” he breathed against Whizzer’s skin and just like that, the chess game had taken on a whole new memory for the both of them.


End file.
